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School Blues

School Blues

by Daniel Pennac (Author), Daniel Pennac (Author), Quentin Blake (Foreword), Sarah Ardizzone (Translator)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2010

    $4.49
Synopsis

Daniel Pennac has never forgotten what it was like to be a very unsatisfactory student, nor the day one of his teachers saved his life by assigning him the task of writing a novel. This was the moment Pennac realized that no-one has to be a failure for ever. In School Blues, Pennac explores the many facets of schooling: how fear makes children reject education; how children can be captivated by inventive thinking; how consumerism has altered attitudes to learning. Haunted by memories of his own turbulent time in the classroom, Pennac enacts dialogues with his teachers, his parents and his own students, and serves up much more than a bald analysis of how young people are consistently failed by a faltering system. School Blues is not only universally applicable, but it is unquestionably a work of literature in its own right, driven by subtlety, sensitivity and a passion for pedagogy, while embracing the realities of contemporary culture.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 320
 Publisher: MACLEHOSE PRESS
Published: 02 Sep 2010
ISBN 10: 1906694648
ISBN 13: 9781906694647
Prizes: Winner of Prix Renaudot 2007.

Media Reviews
'Every education minister, every teacher, every parent should read this' Michael Morpurgo. 'Explodes every cliche about schoolchildren with brilliant vitality' Elle. 'Describes what faces a school dunce when the teacher before him cannot recall what it felt like to be ignorant ... Playfully written ... School Blues joyously combines the profound with the seemingly trivial. It gently reminds readers how ignorant it is to have forgotten what it felt like to have but little knowledge' Economist. 'Should be read by any teacher or parent who wishes to understand the flaws in our education system and the possible approaches to overcoming them' Frank Burbage, Times Literary Supplement. 'Pennac's lively, direct style and interactive approach perfectly suits his provocative ideas. Give it to all the governors of your local school' Iain Finlayson, Saga Magazine. 'What Pennac has to say in this impressionistic, entertaining, provocative and insightful book is of relevance to anyone involved in education. 9/10.' Martin Spice, Times Educational Supplement. 'His ugly duckling transformation from dunce to teacher, and from illiterate to novelist, provides him with a unique perspective on the puzzling world of today's education system' Marc Lambert, Scotland on Sunday. 'This is one of the wisest books about teachers and pupils I have ever read' Susan Elkin, School Librarian. 'Superb' Lire. 'Full marks all round' Amanda Hopkinson, Jewish Chronicle. 'A thought-provoking and hugely enjoyable read' Patricia Wroe, Sunday Business Post.
Author Bio
Daniel Pennac was born in 1944 in Morocco. He was a teacher before becoming a writer of books for children and a series of hugely successful humorous novels. A continued interest in education and social affairs led to his book The Rights of the Reader, and thereafter to School Blues, for which he won the Prix Renaudot. Sarah Ardizzone has won the Scott Moncrieff Prize for her translation of Faiza Guene's first novel, Just Like Tomorrow. Her fresh, new translation of Pennac's The Rights of the Reader (Walker Books) is a natural prelude to School Blues. Quentin Blake, an artist of world renown and first ever Children's Laureate, has collaborated with Pennac on several books, including The Rights of the Reader.